Thoughts on Scuba diving

[dagibbs]

Last night I was asked when I was going to take up scuba diving. It is a tough question, one of a couple tough questions that were put to me.


Scuba diving sounds like a lot of fun, I think I'd really enjoy it, but I don't know if I have room in my life. There are two main issues, time and money. I've already got more than one moderately expensive and potentially time consuming hobbies in my life. Motorcycling, dance lessons, SF conventions, that I'm actively doing. Also, there's downhill skiing, which I used to do more, but haven't done as much lately (like almost none in the last couple years) and which I also miss. Then, there's owning a home in ongoing renovation, and the costs (and time) associated with that. Oh, and having a girlfriend... and lots of other friends, and doing some gaming. Not to speak of having a job. If I didn't have a job, I'd have so much more time for a hobby.

And it looks like scuba diving would be both fairly expensive: lessons, tanks, gear, contact lenses to start up, then refills and travel once started. (And, I'll bet scuba gear doesn't travel well on a motorcycle, I think it is too big and bulky.) And, fairly time consuming -- though the amount of time would be flexible, I think.

Then, there's lessons in a chlorinated pool -- I don't particularly like chlorine, and it will probably trash my hair. Still, that can be dealt with.

I wonder what the male-female ratio is? (I get the feeling there are more male divers than female.)

I'm really enjoying the dance lessons, and leolac and I are going to continue when this set of lessons runs out.

And, I miss playing bridge, and to some extent Go. Though, I'm playing Go online and that's working out pretty well. And, really, I'm not getting as much reading done as I'd like, either. And there's a MMPOG that I'd been playing in pretty regularly, but now have dropped out of, due to not enough time.

Anyone want to pay me to not work? Or give me a day-extender, to give me 30 hour days?

So, I don't know. What am I willing to give up? Am I willing to give something up to make space in my life, and in my budget, for this? Just how much space in my budget will it need?

Comments

scuba

[i-and-t.livejournal.com]

or, you can do what t and I do, which is go on the course when you are on vacation and the cost of the course and the equipment is included in your all-inclusive resort. we've done that for the last few years. its worked well. (except this year when I was too sick to go out diving). we generally go to a sandal's resort because it has scuba included, though I admit its more of a draw for me than for t. unfortunately we don't have certification for diving alone when we come back, but who wants to dive in frigid northern waters anyway? better to do it where its warm and there's more interesting marine life anyway.
i.

Re: Scuba and You

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the information, especially on costs.

Re: scuba

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but the idea of going to a beach-type resort for a vacation doesn't really appeal to me. Scuba included might make it more interesting, but even so, sun & beach isn't really my type of holiday. Maybe if I was vacationing with someone who also wanted to do that, it might work better. Dunno. And, if I didn't end up with a certification good in Canada, I could dive up here with friends. (And, apparently, those friens do like to dive in frigid northern waters. Strange, hm?)

Re: scuba

[i-and-t.livejournal.com]

sunning myself on a beach somewhere warm in february does appeal to me, especially if there is scuba, and option for day trips to interesting places eg. rainforests and volcanoes one year, havana this last year...etc.Also it has to have good food. these places you can pay extra to have the private tutoring for PADI certification which is good anywhere in the world (including here) but it will cost a few extra bucks. i have been game to go for it in the past but t never was that excited to spent that much time of the vacation doing just scuba, so I decided against it (vacations are one of the few times where we get to spend uninterrupted time together.)
as for diving in frigid northern waters, one of my brothers likes to do it off victoria (brrr!) out here-- what would you look at? silty river/lake bottom? at least in the ocean there would be interesting fish and rocks to look at, and the occational shipwreck ( like in this dive park off victoria my brother goes to)
i.

*grin*

[pezchica.livejournal.com]

And, I, of course, want to know what other hard questions you were asked! By us? I don't remember any - other than curious to know why you were excited about the Mongolian, but I'm happy to hear you were *actually* excited about us!! *wheee!*

Oh, I did ask if you were going to sell half your house. Mostly! in jest!

Re: *grin*

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

The other tough question? "Are you and leolac a couple?"

She and I discussed it last night, actually, and decided that, within our understanding of the denotation and connotations of "couple", we were not a couple.

Re: scuba

[i-and-t.livejournal.com]

I certainly can understand your criticism. i ahve been on a number of them over the years, and the quality does vary. the ones I have been on lately have been farily good, and to their credit have kicked people out of the course if they didn't pass the training. re the environmental issues, there have been stern lectures about coral etc each time. as to putting the people at risk for barotrauma, the only places that we were taken were all relatively shallow, so the risks are minimal. as t calls it, scuba lite. i certainly wouldn't feel comfortable going deeper, exploring caves, etc with the training that I have. i however know my limits, but others may not be as smart.
i.

Re: *grin*

[pezchica.livejournal.com]

Ah yes. I do remember that, but... when I was asking it, I guess I was asking a question of semantics (in my head) rather than a tough question about your relationship. Okay, I'm really going to clean my house now. I swear!

Re: barotrauma

[pezchica.livejournal.com]

Well, actually, the greatest risk for barotrauma is the top 30 feet because that's where the pressure changes most drastically. Shallow dives don't really protect from barotrauma.

I'm sure there *are* some good and responsible resort courses out there, but I'd be leary. What was the typical ratio of dive masters to students? If it's anything more than 2 students per dive master, they might as well not bother. Most of the deaths lately have been on courses where their was one instructor/dive master to 3 or more students in an open water/resort course.

There was a group of "Explore Scuba" students on a dive boat I happened upon when I was in Fort Lauderdale visiting home a few years ago. They looked awful, and their fins were pounding into the coral.

Having had a few incidents over the years, I always felt it was the extra-long course and the wonderful instruction I got initially that prevented me from having a more major issue.

*smile* And, I'm not anywhere near as passionate as Jim over there!

Re: *grin*

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

It was tough, partially because of the semantics. We had to decide what we thought "couple" meant, both in general, and within the sub-context of poly relationships. In the general case, it tends to connote exclusivity, but in the poly sense it does not. What does it connote in the poly sense? What does it connote/denote differently from "dating", "boyfriend/girlfriend", "partner", "SOs", or "in a relationship"?

We decide a couple of the key issues were. One was social togertherness -- if you invite one, you expect the other, because of being a social unit; if one is entertaining or hosting, both are -- a couple is a social unit of two (or more, in the poly sense sometimes). The second was an expectation of long-termness, an unbounded or indefinite length of time the relationship was expected to continue -- not neccessarily that it would be permanent as people do change, but that there was no short-term point of change or termination expected in the relationship.

I (and we) do not feel we really qualify on either part of those conditions.

[sultrysong.livejournal.com]

Ah, to be independently wealthy. But even then, you know, that "free" time would get all gobbled up.

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't even mind be independently middle-class. But, yeah, activities will expand to fill all "free" time.

BTW, any idea what your schedule looks like August 26/27?

[concordantnexus.livejournal.com]

travelbunny is a scuba diver that keeps whining about not having a diving buddy, you might try emailing her. :)

[thatguychuck.livejournal.com]

Yesterdays post from a friend of mine is appropriate. She tried SCUBA for the first time. That alone is nothing huge, but the reasons and writeup are fantastic.

Take a look at Cassie's journal entry, here. (http://www.livejournal.com/users/nightwind2/39185.html)

[beable]

I really miss playing bridge. If you know a couple of other people who would want to play regularly or semi-regularly I would be totally into starting up a bridge group (well not a weekly one but a monthly-or-so one would be cool).

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

Depends on the level. Really. I used to play serious, high-level competitive bridge. In one of my partnerships, we had somewhere around 100 pages (computer printed) of system notes on our partnership agreements. I've played, without shaming myself, against world-class competition.

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

Read it, interesting.

*blinks*

[pezchica.livejournal.com]

100 pages of partnership agreement! That's worse than a marriage contract. Oy ve!

Re: *blinks*

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it was serious system. Dunno about how long/nasty marriage contracts are, though. I do know, though, that for top level competition on established partnerships, our set of agreements and notes was not out of line.

[beable]

Yeah well. I'm competitive by nature, but have never played against world-class competition and can shame myself just walking down the street. Or tripping over things. Or getting into conversations with people.

[nightwind2.livejournal.com]

They didn't teach us anything about breathing. This was NOT a certification course that I took. The idea was just to get us in the water and experience diving to no more than 25 feet. Yes, I didn't get much of a course, but I never had the impression that what I got was supposed to make me a master. As for the fear, I really don't think any ammount of training wound have made me feel better. It's been a very long time since I've been independent in the water. You say you had no fear on your first dive, but did you normally have any fear about being in water before that dive? I'm guessing not. I did.

I will say I wished the instructor/student ratio hade been more like 1:2 instead of 1:3 in the water, but I also felt like I was being well looked after.